ROSINTON, Ala. — Most of us see armadillos on the side of the road when they have their final encounter with a moving vehicle.

On Saturday, March 14, more than 300 “Armadillos” made their way around streets near Rosinton Elementary School.

Thanks to the efforts of the Rosinton and Styx River Volunteer Fire Departments and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, none of the runners wound up as roadkill.

Instead, the 2009 edition of Rosinton Elementary’s “Armadillo Dash” combined a certified course for a 5K run, a one-mile fun run, and a 5K walk. There’s no word yet on how much the fundraiser, which combined the athletic events with a silent auction, an Easter Egg hunt and an “Armadillo Crawl” for the youngest made, but school officials were pleased with the turnout and fun everyone seemed to have.

Lonny Hughes, a former teacher at the school, now the director of recreation at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, is credited for starting the Dash.

“We had just gotten a grant from Nike ,” said Hughes, who returns to the school every year to help with the road race. “We were looking for a way to get kids to be more active. The first year we had so much success. Students were achieving goals, losing weight.”

Because the race was deemed a success, it was decided to make the event an annual fundraiser. today, proceeds from the Dash help fund the Rosinton Runners running club at the school. It consists of about 90 students who participate in races almost year-round. The students train twice a week at the school.

“The whole thing (the race) isn’t possible without the support of Dr. Hardin (Theresa Hardin, the school’s principal). It’s more than just a run, it’s a community event, a time of fellowship,’ said Hughes.

For Anna Tedder, the race has became a family tradition. She was going to walk the race, pushing the newest Tedder, 17-month old Tré in a stroller while her older sons, Shawn and Nicholas, both 12, would be running the race.

“I think this is great,” said Tedder. “It gets the kids out and gets them active.”

For Josh Martin, the first Rosinton student across the finish line (he placed third overall) the race, “was fun.”

“I’m good at running,” said Martin who hopes to keep running in middle and high school. “I like it a lot.”

Volunteers had plenty of fresh fruit out for the runners, who seemed appreciative of the healthful snack after the run.

But there was one student who had to watch from the sidelines.

Traci Arnould, a fifth-grade student and member of the Rosinton Runners, was sitting in a chair, cheering her fellow runners in to the finish line. She has a cast on her foot.

“I was training for the race,” said Arnould. “but I had an accident on the trampoline.”

While Traci was out of the race, she added that her father, Tim Arnould, was in the race.

“He should be coming soon,” she said, getting ready to cheer him on.